All of the benefits of durable stainless steel bodies with the efficient even heating of copper.

86 Reviews

Revereware-You May Have a Hot Spot or Not!

Review by IShopAlot

February, 07 2001

Pros: Lightweight, attractive cookware at a modest price

Cons: Copper bottom can discolor, pans can warp, plastic can lose its sheen if overheated

After recently writing an opinion on All Clad LTD cookware, I decided it would be appropriate to write an opinion on the other set of cookware in our household, and the one by which I compare All Clad.

I had grown up knowing the name Revereware and had always thought of it as the best of its class. Besides, I am a sucker for the look of copper cookware and thought the copper bottoms added a little extra oomph to its looks. So when it was time to set up my first household and kitchen years ago, I purchased Revereware.

Revereware is made of rather thin stainless steel with copper clad bottoms. The handles are spot welded to the pots/pans, and are covered with a hard, black plastic, which keeps the handles cool. The same plastic material is used for the knobs on the tops and although shiny when new, over time they can become matte looking.

When it?s new, Revereware is shiny and attractive, the copper bottoms adding a bit of color. Unfortunately, under regular use, the copper bottoms discolor and if you have an adventuresome teen around the house who believes you have to turn the stove up to high no matter what you cook, the handles can be overheated and loose their shiny finish or can even crack. My daughter used to figure that if heat cooked something, the highest heat possible would cook it even better! Using copper cleaners will help restore the copper finish but I prefer not having to bother with an extra cleaning step and have always put mine in the dishwasher with no adverse effects. Since this is lighter weight cookware it is also is capable of warping slightly at high heat, so care must be taken not to overheat this cookware. Because of the plastic handles it is also not appropriate for use in the oven.

As far as cooking with Revereware, I can recommend it for gas cooking and can recommend it for electric cooking if watched closely and not abused. We always had a gas cook top when I was growing up and our Revereware faired well over the years but then none of us kids ever experimented with it. My mother was a stay-at-home mother and spent hours in the kitchen, watching all her cooking meals carefully. When I moved into my first home as an adult, however, it had an electric range and when remodeling we decided not to run a gas line to the kitchen and chose a stove with a flat ceramic cook top, heated with electric elements.

This presented it?s own set of problems with Revereware. If it is overheated, the bottoms on larger pots and pans can warp slightly and that is more likely with electric heating elements. A ceramic cook top requires a flat bottom on pots and pans to heat properly. For years I had to deal with hot spots and some things burning on the bottom, such as sauces and the like. When frying I constantly needed to move the food in the pan frequently to prevent it from burning and to get everything cooked evenly. This is not so much a problem with a gas range. When a flame has a relatively flat surface put over it, such as a pot or pan, the flame will spread out under that surface and cover more area of the bottom of the surface. This allows for more even heating with gas than an electric element which only heats the point of contact then radiates outward, causing hot spots at the point of contact.

Revereware is, however, very easy to pick up and handle because it is lightweight. This is helpful not only in meal preparation, but in cleaning and storing, especially if you store them in an overhead cupboard.

Overall Revereware is decent cookware and can serve as a household?s only cookware set, with some limitations. But to make it work to its fullest potential and to keep it looking like new, a little extra care is needed. I can recommend Revereware for people with gas ranges and to those looking for modestly priced cookware. Some supplemental, oven-safe casseroles or pieces will be needed to fully round out a household?s kitchen.

Note: I purchased my set approximately 22 years ago and am just guessing at the amount paid.